CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Boston manager Terry Francona spent a lot of time talking to Justin Masterson on Tuesday afternoon. As the conversation was about to end, Francona told his former pitcher, "I hope you win the rest of your games after we leave town."

After pitching the Indians to an 11-0 victory over Boston on Wednesday night on a two-hitter, Masterson was reminded of the conversation. He smiled and said, "sometimes I'm just not very good at listening."

Masterson struck out six and walked two in the second complete game of his career. He stopped Boston in the early, middle and late innings. The hottest team in the big leagues was never in the game.

Masterson induced 17 groundball outs. He threw 68 percent (75-of-110) of his pitches for strikes and held Boston's lefties to two hits in 14 at-bats. Lefties came into the game hitting .370 (47-for-127) against him.

"Justin was fantastic," said manager Manny Acta. "I've always believed that in baseball anything can happen on any given night. You can beat a ballclub like that, but pitching sets the tone."

Masterson (2-5, 4.74) is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in his last three starts. This mini-run started on May 30 when he made an adjustment in his delivery before holding the Yankees to three runs in 6 2/3 innings. Acta said he started getting more on top of his sinker, which kept the ball down and in the strike zone.

In his last three starts, Masterson has thrown 37 groundball outs, while allowing just two extra-base hits. The two hits he allowed Wednesday were singles.

Masterson's performance against Boston also will quiet the chattering outside of Acta's ears.

"Maybe for the next two or three weeks you guys [reporters] will stop asking me if he's going to the bullpen," said Acta. "This guy has good stuff. That's why we've been so patient with him."

Buchholz (8-4, 2.52) wasn't exactly battered by the Tribe's offense. They led, 3-0, entering the eighth inning with the runs coming on Jhonny Peralta's sacrifice fly in the first, a double-play grounder in the third following Trevor Crowe's triple and Buchholz's wild pitch in the fourth that scored Peralta.

The loss ended a five-start winning streak for Buchholz, but the game really wasn't decided until the Indians scored eight runs in the eighth. It matched their biggest inning of the season.

Travis Hafner had the big hit of the inning with his 10th career grand slam. The smallest hit of the inning belonged to Russell Branyan's wrong-way RBI single to third against the shift for the Tribe's final run.

Boof Bonser, making his first big-league appearance since 2009, started the eighth by putting four batters on base. They all scored.

The runs were a welcome sight to Masterson. During his 11-decision losing streak, which ended Friday against Chicago, the Indians averaged 2.3 runs per start.

It took Bonser and Joe Nelson 60 pitches to get through the eighth. The Indians had seven hits and five walks, but Acta still sent Masterson out for the ninth to get the shutout.

"We just told him to keep moving around or to go down to the cage and throw a few pitches," said Acta.

Masterson said his slider helped him control Boston's lefties.

"I was able to get the slider inside on them," he said. "And then I started busting them with four-seamers [fastballs]."

The Indians acquired Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price from Boston on July 31 for Victor Martinez, who had one of Boston's two hits. Masterson bounced between the bullpen and rotation for Boston, but the Indians have been determined to make him a starter.

Wednesday night Masterson showed why.

It was a good night for Crowe as well. In Tuesday's 3-2 loss, he made the error that cost the Tribe the game. Wednesday night, Crowe had two hits, walked and scored three runs.